Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, together with the Undersecretary, Monsignor Jozef Barlaš, is participating in the annual session of the Board of Directors of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel. Now in its 44th edition, the event is taking place in Dakar, Senegal, from February 12 to 15.
The meeting provides an opportunity to present the new Statutes, ratified by Pope Leo XIV last February 5, the result of a process of institutional reform of the Foundation, led by a diverse working group that jointly collaborated in drafting the new version.
Sister Smerilli, in praising the process that led to this adoption, reassured those present that “these revised Statutes, as an official document approved by the Holy Father, are intended to be a continuity—within renewal—of the vocation of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel.”
The annual Board meeting is also an opportunity for a “tour de table” of the individual countries and to review the report on the projects that the Foundation carried out in the previous year.
In this regard, the Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development emphasized the relevance of the mission of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel in light of the complex challenges facing the region, such as the climate crisis and the migration crisis, and then stated:
“Faced with such a situation, with its trail of suffering and poverty, I come to reassure you of the closeness of the Holy Father and the support of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.”
The Council concluded this 44th session with a final communiqué, in which it also announced the election of the President, H.E. Monsignor Hassa Florent Koné, Bishop of San, Administrator for Mali, and the Vice President, H.E. Monsignor Victor Ndione, Bishop of Nouakchott, Administrator for Mauritania. Here the final communiqué
In taking leave, the Secretary of the Dicastery expressed the utmost satisfaction with the conduct and quality of the work of the Board of Directors: “We found a Council deeply united, animated by a true spirit of collaboration and a great sensitivity to the challenges and sufferings of the Sahel.”
And finally: “As a Dicastery, we are pleased to accompany all efforts in a spirit of service, solidarity, and trust in the future.” Here is the full statement
For its part, the Council sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV, expressing gratitude for the approval of the Statutes and sharing its concerns regarding the difficult situation prevailing in the countries of the Sahel.
As part of a long-standing process, the Secretary of the Dicastery had participated in the previous Board meeting and the one before that in Burkina Faso.
